The Need for the Holy Spirit in the Ministry of the Word (Part 4)

Well, I apologize for not finishing this series earlier. I expect we could blame the coronavirus and need for addressing other issues. So, without further delay, let’s get this thing going again.

To catch up on the previous posts for review, you will want to read…

• Part 1 – our introduction to the series and setting the context of II Corinthians 10:3-5

• Part 2 – We are mortal.

• Part 3 – Our enemies are formidable.

The final reason we need the Holy Spirit in the ministry of the Word is this: God’s weapons are effective (II Corinthians 9:4-5).

Paul says in vs. 4 our “weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” We have access to weaponry that can engage the enemy – divine weapons.

The “weapons” Paul refers to are likely what we would categorize as our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:13-18) – truth, righteousness, the Gospel, peace, faith, salvation and the Word of God.

These are not man-conceived weapons. They are divinely designed, divinely created and divinely empowered. Our weapons depend on God for their efficacy. We have no hope for victory outside of God’s weapons.

• Spirit-empowered weapons “destroy strongholds.” They can release people who are under siege – who are in bondage to sin.

• Spirit-empowered weapons can “destroy…every lofty opinion.” They can remove any obstacles keeping people from understanding or getting to the truth.

• Spirit-empowered weapons can help people “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” We can rescue them from depraved and self-centered thinking to righteous and Christlike speaking, thinking and doing.

Now, how can that be done? How do we apply any of this? What can we do to bring about defeat? If you consider Ephesians 6, I believe you’ll see that weapon in our arsenal. Paul says one of the weapons we have is “the sword OF THE SPIRIT, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).

It is called “the sword of the Spirit” because it is the Holy Spirit that gives the Word its power and it is the Spirit that can give the right interpretation of the Word.

• What did Jesus use when Satan tempted Him? The sword of the Spirit.

• What does the psalmist say is the best way to keep ourselves pure? By storing the sword of the Spirit in our hearts.

• What does Paul say is profitable for training, reproof, correction and training in righteousness? The sword of the Spirit.

• What does Peter say is all we need for life and godliness? The sword of the Spirit.

• What did Moses tell the 2^nd generation of Hebrews in the wilderness that they could not live without? The sword of the Spirit.

God’s Word is not chained! Someone once said proclaiming the Word is like a lion. If you let it out, it will defend itself. The sword of the Spirit is the only book that can change your nature. Why wouldn’t we use it?

We must use the living and active (Hebrews 4:12) sword of the Spirit. If we use a fleshly weapon, we are destined for frustration and defeat. We must follow Christ’s example of proclaiming the Word in the Spirit’s power (Luke 4:14). We must take Paul’s example to heart as he preached to the Gentiles by the power of the Spirit (Romans 15:19). We must admit that apart from the Spirit, we can do nothing of value (John 15:5).

We need the Spirit and we need His sword or no one will be convinced, no one will be helped, and no one will be saved. We must learn to wield the Word.

Do we need the Spirit? Do we need the Spirit’s sword? Here is how William Gurnall would answer that question:

“Do you wonder that Satan works so hard to dispossess the gospel which dispossess him? By the light of the gospel many who were once his friends find the way to truth and life. By the same light, saints move with blessed assurance toward their eternal home. Nothing torments the devil more than to see his old companions neglect their former sinful pleasures and spend time studying the Scriptures instead. He knows that a saint without a knowledge of the gospel is as vulnerable as an army without ammunition. Therefore, he labors either by persecution to drive God’s Word away, or by political policy to persuade a people to send it away from their coast.

“For it is God’s Word which teaches us how to put on Christ and His graces so that we are fitly armed. Never flatter yourself unto thinking you can do without this priceless book. We have all known those who content themselves with a profession of Christ and a smattering of gifts and works, and do not wish to know if there is more to the Christian life. They are the ones who graces freeze when winter winds buffer their souls. But the saint whose faith has been insulated from error by the truth of the gospel will be able to withstand all Satan’s icy blasts.”

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The Christian in Complete Armour, Vol. 1, pgs. 65-66